In Circles
by Namasilvereyes
Summary: For the lives of his children, he would do anything. Ryan Wolfe was a man that was constantly beaten down, but he always got back up because to admit defeat would be to allow the worst to happen. With or without help, Ryan was going to bring down the man that believed him to be ensnared in his ghastly trap, for the freedom of his children and himself.*Chapter 5 is properly posted*
1. Chapter 1

_**In Circles**_

**Chapter: Hardships**

**Date: July 2, 2012**

**Dedicated To: Lisitea73**

**-whom asked me to repost the story**

**Disclaimer: I do not own this fandom nor make any profit from the writing of this fiction.**

A year ago, he had had a good job with wonderful hours that had allowed him to be able to spend sufficient time with his son. He had known that his time with the Miami Dade Crime Scene Investigation unit would be short, but the way that they had gotten rid of him had essentially blackballed him from getting a respectable job anywhere in Miami and he had had no warning in order to prepare for the fallout. The Miami Dade dayshift CSI team and Internal Affairs' Rick Stetler had always had problems with each other and at the time that he had been fired, it had been due to them turning him into a scapegoat to take the blame off Eric Delko, a Cuban-Russian that had had the biggest problem with him. The man had not answered a call to a crime scene along the beach which had resulted in the attack and near death of one of the swing shift CSIs who was helping to extract evidence from their massive crime scene.

When the investigation into why only the swing shift CSI was present at their long stretch of scene was on-going, Horatio Caine along with CSIs Delko and Calleigh Duquesne shifted the logs saying that Delko was supposed to be on call to him. He had never known anything about the problem with IA until they came to him with an ultimatum: either he left without confrontation or he was fired. He had never had a chance to make his choice as his boss fired him as soon as he left the interrogation room where he had been cornered by IA. Having been fired by the number one crime lab in Miami and the reason for it ensured that no other lab or police department, for that matter, wanted to hire him. He could not even return to his position with the Miami Dade Police Department because they could not 'in good conscious hire someone who would abandon his position.'

Due to his horrible experience with MDPD and its CSI unit, it seemed that even other jobs that were not part of law enforcement field did not find him a reliable employee. It appeared that his previous employer had made it clear that he was not a dependable nor commendable employee and thus, he was running really low on options if he wanted to earn enough money to support both him and his son. He did one of the few things that he could do, he moved them out of their current apartment into a cheaper one, though he had to sacrifice the respectability of his neighborhood, and he began seeking employment through less legal channels. If it had just been himself, he would have suffered for a while longer before resorting to such things, but he had to think about his son. This led to his current place of employment; a place that catered to the illicit fantasies of the rich, the infamous, the important. It was a fetish club, called Desire by Design, that fulfilled the desires of politicians, CEOs, crime bosses, and many more. He had even seen the chief of police and the director of the crime lab in the club. He had served them, however it was unlikely that they recognized him. Due to his shorter than normal stature and slender figure, his fetish part in the club was dressing and acting as a naughty waitress.

He barely made more than minimum wage working as a waitress rather than as one of the dancers on the stage or the _escorts _that showed the customers a good time in the private rooms dotted throughout the club. Despite this, his apron was always being filled with an extra couple of dollars here and there by doting customers that took his acceptance of the money as a right to grope or smack his ass or try to force him to agree to do sexual acts with them. He always refused and most tended to just leave him be, but there was one man that just would not take no for an answer. According to those that worked at the club, he was a rumored syndicate boss that had never been caught, had always got what he wanted, and most importantly, no one had ever told him no or refused him when he asked for their time. However, he refused to give into a man that just expected everything to fall into his lap with absolutely no effort. He was also not afraid of the man that seemed to have instilled fear into the hearts of his co-workers because from what he could see, the man was all talk and no action.

Things changed after almost half a year of refusing the man repeatedly. He had just opened the door to his dinky apartment after a long shift, his feet were killing him after going eight hours with heels on, and after dealing with his sick son before work, he was ready to just drop into bed. However, once he turned on the hall lamp in the living room so that he could see to pull out the sofa bed, he was shocked and a bit afraid to find that man sitting in his apartment with his sleeping son in the man's lap. The man began stroking the two year old child's caramel brown as he began walking toward the two on the couch wanting to remove his son from the man's grip, but the man began talking.

"Ryan Zane Wolfe. A Boston University graduate, top ten percent of your class, earned a respectable degree in forensic science with an emphasis on trace evidence and DNA, went into the police academy, again graduated top of your class, clean record before you began working with the crime lab. That is quite the resume you have and yet you work at a fetish club for minimum wage leaving your son alone with an elderly woman that would do anything for a bit of money to support her son's habits." The man smiled darkly while Ryan gulped nervously and tried to swallow the fear that was enveloping him.

"Wh-what are y-you doing here?" Ryan's heart was in his throat as his hazel colored eyes blinked rapidly as if trying to make the scene before him disappear. This entire situation was just too creepy for words and left the brunette male in a state of uneasiness.

"I like you, Ryan, and no matter how many times I try to prove my attentions for you, you always refuse me. I am a man who does not take well to rejection, Ryan. If I did not like you so much, I would have just taken what I wanted and been done with you; however, I want more than just a quick and temporary tryst." The man moved his free hand into view, holding a knife that he switched into the hand that had been stroking Ryan's son's hair. The brunette felt his breath catch at the blatant threat. He would not let anyone harm the only happiness he had ever had in his life, his son.

"What do you wa-want, then?" As he spoke the words, he felt his stomach plummet toward the floor with dread.

"I want you," the man said and continued to elaborate when he saw Ryan's confusion. "I want you to be mine, Ryan. Mind, body, and soul, I want you and I will do anything I have to in order for you to understand that. Do you understand, Ryan?" The former cop heard the ultimatum in those veiled words. Either he accepted the man and did what was wanted of him, or he lost his son, his little Nicolas who was the only good thing to ever come out of his first and last relationship with a woman.

"I-I…(sigh) yes." He had just sealed his fate, but like everything else he did, it was all for his little boy's happiness.

**A/N: Lisitea73, I am happy that you enjoyed the story. Consider this my gift to you for going so far as to PM me and tell me about it.**

**Cheers!**

**Nama**


	2. Chapter 2

_**In Circles**_

**Chapter: Evolution**

**Date: July 5, 2012**

**Warnings: Foul Language, Dubious/Forced Consent, Cross Dressing Male, Unsuitable Environmnet for Children**

It had been two years since Ryan had said those fate sealing words to a man that was untouchable in the corporate world and infamous in the underworld. Nathan Marnelle was a man that grew up in the slums of Miami with visions of grandeur and had had the mind and ambition to be able to accomplish it. In the world of corporate Miami, he was the brilliant and charming Chief Executive Officer of Mantonics, the electronics company that he had built from the ground up that supplied a variety of electronic devices from car circuit boards to phones to parts for the military. On the dark side of that same man, he was the leader of one of the largest crime syndicates in the Southeastern United States. In the underworld, he had his hands in a bit of everything from prostitution, to drugs, to arms dealing. He was a man that wanted for nothing because he could have everything that took his fancy. If his handsome, strong, aristocratic features with complementary raven, ear length hair, 6'3" built frame, and devious smile did not get him what he wanted, he used his considerable amount of money to fulfill his desires. If that did not work, he had no problem dipping into his dark side to make his whims come true.

At least that had been true before he had met one Ryan Wolfe. The hazel eyed, soft spoken brunette had been attractive for sure, otherwise the man would not have given the time of day, but what intrigued him more was the cross dresser's consistent refusal of him. No one had ever refused him for long or at all when he had turned his attentions their way, but Ryan had lasted for six months and probably would have lasted longer if Nathan had not become impatient and angry at the man that thought he could reject him. From that day, Nathan had never regretted forcing Ryan into his arms and his bed as the little fire sprite was always presenting him with a challenge, always standing up to him, and always keeping his interest peaked.

The last reason for keeping Ryan around was also what Ryan had been depending on for he and his son to escape Nathan without repercussion. After two years, though, Ryan was becoming despondent that Nathan would ever lose interest in him enough to let him go. He had believed that after being forced to abandon his male wardrobe for a female one by Nathan would soon lose its appeal as he would be around it every day unlike the biweekly visits to Desire by Design. That idea had been flushed after the first year. Another blow to his plan was when the man had knocked up one his many women and when she had shown little interest in the child when it became apparent that he would not elevate her status above the others, he had given the child to Ryan to care for. Then man had exploited the brunette's weakness for children had given him yet another reason why he could not risk an escape attempt.

Thus, for two years Ryan had abandoned his freedom for the whims of a man that led a dangerous double life and the happiness of his children. Nicolas was a very precocious five year old who had once questioned why Ryan had looked like a 'Mommy' instead of 'Daddy' and now followed the words of a man the brunette cross dresser wish he had never had the displeasure of meeting. Nicolas now believed that Nathan was his father while Ryan was his mother and the first time Ryan had heard those terms in relation to Nathan and himself, he had been extremely hurt and angry. He had also been filled with fear as that gave Nathan even more power of Ryan and the safety of his children. However, he had buried it knowing what Manelle might do in a fit of anger should he know that Ryan's true feelings on the matter. He had seen some of the things that man was capable of.

Little Meloni, Ryan's adopted daughter, was now just under a year old and had already said her first word to Ryan: Mama. Ryan had been trying to get the little one to call him 'dada' but it was an epic failure and until something miraculous happened to free him from his gilded cage, he was just going to have to deal with it. He hated it with a passion and could not help but feel bitter towards that people that had led to his downfall with their undue hatefulness even when he had done nothing to them other than try to do well at his job.

*_* *_*!_! !_!*_* *_*

Horatio Caine was feeling regret for his callous actions. At first, the team had just been cold to see if the kid could stand on his own as he would not always be paired with someone when working a scene. However, after a carelessly thrown comment about Tim's cleaning methods for his gun, their sizing up of their newest member turned to something darker and infinitely more dangerous. The kid had only spoken the truth and it had been in response to a question that was asked of him by a superior, so they had not really had any reason to do what they did, but all they could focus on was his tactless and blunt way of saying it. To them, especially at that time, it looked as though the rookie was trying to make himself look superior to Timothy Speedle who was a dear, loyal friend and family member to them all. They took it too far and Horatio had put the icing on the cake when he had cost the man not just his current job, but his career and many potential prospects in areas outside of the Miami district as well.

Horatio was also feeling more than a little guilty about the fact that he had not factored Mr. Wolfe's son into his callous revenge either. He had ruined not only that man's career and prospects, but resources needed for him to provide for his innocent child. Mr. Wolfe was young for a law enforcement parent, but he took his responsibilities seriously and he had specifically asked for that weekend off because he needed to spend time with his son and Horatio had swapped out the newbie for Eric. When Eric had failed to do his duty to his job, he had punished Mr. Wolfe in the worst way possible while he had allowed his more experienced CSI, whom should have known better than to skip off on work when he knew he was on call, to get away with what was practically murder. Horatio had ruined two lives in pettiness and it did not allow him sleep well at all despite what the rested persona that he showed to the world. And just around the corner, Lieutenant Caine was going to find out just how much his actions had adversely affected a young man who had only been trying to work his way up in a field that he had admired because he wanted to make a difference.

*_* *_*!_! !_!*_* *_*

Ryan was sitting in Nathan's lap as Meloni and Nicolas played in the yard just beyond where they had set up their picnic blanket and subsequent picnic. The cross dresser and his captor looked like the picture perfect couple as Ryan was dressed in a simple peasant top that gave the illusion of a flat chested female with a simple, solid colored, flared skirt and tan, flat, summer sandals. Nathan was dressed casually, for once, in a medium blue polo, khaki cargo shorts, and had decided to join his makeshift _family_ barefoot for their front yard picnic. Ryan hated the pretenses under which Nathan was manipulating him, but as already revealed, he would do anything to ensure the happiness and safety of his son and now, his daughter as well. He did not care that Meloni was not biologically his, he had raised the child since shortly after her birth and he would give anything within his power for her to be happy just as he would his son.

It was this scene upon which the Miami-Dade Police Department, in full armor, interrupted. The children were immediately removed from the area while the couple on the blanket was held under gunpoint. Ryan was yanked up first and roughly put into handcuffs that pinched his tender skin to the point of bloodshed while Nathan was taken down brutally, having his face shoved in the ground while they rested knees upon his back to arrest him. The man, however, did not put up a single struggle, nor did Ryan despite the unfair actions of the officers that were taking them into custody. As soon as they arrived at MDPD, they were separated into different interrogation rooms to be questioned about whatever charges they had been arrested on, but not told about.

Ryan was unlucky as his two of his interrogators were his biggest _fans_ while the other was a man that had not stood against him, but he had not stood for him either despite the fact that they had known each other for well over two years at that point. Eric Delko, Horatio Caine, and Frank Tripp had decided to personally conduct Ryan's interview once it had been revealed that the 'woman' that had been apprehended was actually one Ryan Wolfe. For Delko, it seemed like the brat was finally getting what was coming to him while for his boss, it only drove home just how badly he had messed up with Ryan. It proved to him the depth to which he had ruined the kid's life because of pettiness and a severe lapse in judgment. He also believed himself to have had another lapse when he had allowed Eric to accompany them for Ryan's interrogation.

"Mr. Wolfe, I see you are doing well." Horatio started conversationally, however the kid refused to look up from the table at him and refused to speak. Tripp attempted to talk to the kid next.

"Ryan, we know that Manelle is your boyfriend, but you have to know that he is not a good guy. If you can think of anything strange or out of place, then you need to tell us about it. We need to get this guy off the streets and we need your help since our informant was just found dead." Ryan flinched, but he still did not look up and he did not utter a single sound. Delko decided to take his turn and his approach was less than friendly while questioning the ever silent brunette.

"I think you know exactly what has been going on with your little boyfriend. I bet you helped him out; helped him to evade the police by telling him how not to get caught. You can sit there and act all innocent, but we already know that with your record, it would not be above you to help out a criminal, now would it?" Ryan flinched again as Eric spat his words at him as well as slamming his fist into the table. However, Ryan once more remained absolutely quiet, holding back everything he wanted to say. He had to protect his children, they were the only happiness he had left and he would not allow anyone to hurt them because of him.

After an hour of polite interrogation by Detective Tripp and surprisingly Lieutenant Caine and badgering by CSI Delko, Ryan was joined by a woman who wore her suit like an assassin wore their most prized weapons. She took a look at the two men that sat across from the brunette cross dresser and the hulking Latino looking man that hovered intimidatingly over Ryan's shoulder while shouting at him for answers to his questions. Ryan had not said a word during that entire hour, however, he had begun to cry because he wanted to tell everything so badly, but the safety of his children came first. Ryan knew what would happen should he say anything and the conflict of the decision that he had made over the other was tearing him apart especially with Eric Delko throwing it in his face repeatedly. The woman walked over to the Cuban-Russian and placed her hand on the man's hulking shoulder, pulling slightly. He rounded on her aggressively, which earned him a raised eyebrow and the removal of the hand.

"If this is the way you treat all your suspects, I say it is a wonder that you have remained in law enforcement so long. Now, you will stop badgering and harassing my client first by removing yourself from his personal space and second by releasing him as you arrested him merely on charges of guilt by association. For that reason alone, he could sue your department for more than this entire sting operation was worth. Now, release my client. We're leaving." The woman gently guided Ryan from the room and from MDPD. The two were followed out by Dt. Tripp and Lt. Caine, who watched as Ryan was escorted right into the waiting hands of Nathan Manelle.

Lt. Caine watched in uneasy silence as Manelle pulled Ryan into a tight embrace before whispering in his ear. Whatever the man had said caused Ryan to flinch and to pull back from the man. That was yet another piece of the puzzle: perhaps Ryan's unwillingness to speak was not due to not knowing what his boyfriend was, but knowing exactly what his boyfriend was and capable of. If that was the case, then why had the kid stayed with a man like that? That was a question that would have to wait until either Ryan talked or they managed to lock Manelle up and throw away the damn key.

*_* *_*!_! !_!*_* *_*

Timothy Speedle was happy when he had come back to work, but something was different upon his return. He had expected it to be different due to the fact that he had been shot and placed in a coma to help heal, but this change was more than that, it was subtle and rotten and it made the trace expert uneasy. Tim, also known as Speed, had been watching his boss and his coworkers closely since his return and he noted that Eric was angry and less like the gentle giant he used to be. He was also very protective of the trace expert. Calleigh, on the other hand, was not smiling like she used to. She was more somber and she too was more protective over Speed than she had ever been with anyone in the past.

Alex and Horatio were quite different in the changes that they displayed while in his presence. They looked guilty, very guilty over something that Tim could not figure out. He knew that it had something to do with the kid that had been working here while he was on the mend, but no one wanted to talk about the guy for some reason. Even the officers and other CSIs that worked with the kid were mum on the subject. From that, Speed could only conclude that the kid had something to do with the change that his coworkers were suffering from. As time passed, his coworkers seemed to be settling back into their selves when they received quite the surprise.

When he saw the one that no one had wanted to talk about, he had been dumbfounded as he was pretty sure that Ryan was typically used to name male children. He was even more surprised when his boss confirmed that Ryan was indeed male, but that was all he had said about the male before heading to the interrogation room. It was in that moment that Tim fell in lust with his first man ever. Speed had always been straight as an arrow, but Ryan awakened something inside him that he had not realized dwelled within him. The fact that Ryan was a man just added to the growth of that thing within him and Tim was beginning to think that his skirt chasing ways that mimicked Eric's had more to do with his awakened fetish than his actual sexual preference. He really wanted to meet the man, but he also knew that with his newly found crush that it would be a bad idea. Not only was Ryan involved with a suspected crime lord, but he was also suspected as a part of this crime organization that MDPD were trying to bring down.

*_* *_*!_! !_!*_* *_*

Nathan Manelle was not happy that the MDPD were coming after him more directly than they had done in the past. He knew that it was because he was planning to retire soon and they did not want him to just be able to sleep easy well out of their reach. If he retired before they got any evidence of his crimes, they would never be able to put him behind bars and that was exactly what he planned to do with his little cross dresser and their children by his side. However, he had not planned to retire for another couple of years or so, but since the cops were moving in, he decided to begin moving up his plans. The challenge was on, and it was now a race to see who would get to the finish line first. Would it be the cops with their evidence or him with his family sailing into retirement?

**A/N: What do you think will happen? Will Ryan gain the freedom of his children and himself or will he be forced to continue a life of fragile balance? Stay tuned to find out.**

**Cheers!**

**Nama**


	3. Chapter 3

_**In Circles**_

**Chapter: **

**Date: July 10, 2012**

**Warning: Non-graphic description of sexual violence.**

Ryan knew as soon as they returned to the house that something had changed in Nathan. The man was alight with unholy glee despite having just been arrested by the Miami Dade police. The real question that concerned the brunette was whether or not that glee was directed at him, the children, or the MDPD. The cross dresser was filled with dread as he knew that whatever laid ahead, no matter who was the primary target, it would affect them all and Ryan and his children would have no choice but to be right in the thick of it.

As soon as Nathan had made sure that Ryan and their children were settled, he began to make the necessary phone calls so that he could put his plans into action. The race was on and he was going to be the first one to make his move. His first calls were to his investors' middlemen for the different branches of his business. His plan was to sell out his business (of each branch) to the highest bidder. The money he would receive off his selling would be his retirement fund; however the bidding would take a while to set up between all of his contacts. He needed to get the process in motion so that he could ship out all of the 'evidence' that the police would need to be able to get a conviction.

*_* *_*!_! !_!*_* *_*

Horatio Caine looked at Eric Delko with an inscrutable expression that set the younger man on edge. It was bad form to truly chastise the Latino CSI during an interrogation, but he had given his CSI several warnings of which he took no heed. The lieutenant shut the door to his office after he had called the younger man in and told him to sit down, his voice stern with disapproval. Eric looked at him confused, but did not speak as he waited to see what infraction his boss had called him in for.

"No matter what history a person has, whether they are the lowest of criminals or the most powerful of politicians, we as law enforcement officers _never_ badger or physically harass any of our suspects. No matter what Ryan may have said about Tim when he worked here, intentionally malicious or not, there was absolutely no reason to lose your objectivity when it came to questioning him. Instead of degrading, you should have helped us to find a way to make him feel comfortable talking. He was our best possible lead and the only thing you did was make him cry and shut down even further. When I gave you those warnings in the interrogation room, they were meant to be heeded and you deliberately disobeyed them."

"H, he's shacking up with the biggest crime boss Miami has ever seen and you're telling me I should have been gentle with him!" Eric Delko exclaimed as he felt that familiar rage at Ryan well up in his chest. Horatio raised an eyebrow at Eric's heatedness when talking about one Ryan Wolfe. The Latino backed down at the look, but his expression remained indignant and steadfast. Horatio sighed before he began the talk that he should have had with Eric as soon as he had come to his senses about Ryan Wolfe.

"Eric, I know that what Mr. Wolfe said about Speed was inconsiderate, especially given the circumstances, however his words are only inconsiderate from our point of view because we know Tim personally. Mr. Wolfe has never met Tim and thus, to him he was being respectful of a man he had never met even though to us it did not sound that way. We knew that Wolfe was socially awkward when he was hired and that also played a role and you know that."

"That still does not excuse him from nonchalantly spreading about gossip that he has no real knowledge about." Eric continued to hold onto his righteous indignation. Horatio looked at Delko with a mix of exasperation and disappointment.

"The man that he was talking to that day turned out to be Tim's former superior from when he had worked in Boston. The man was concerned about a man he had worked closely with for years and Wolfe had only given him the same information that he had been given when it came to Tim. There was no wrong in that, only in us for taking such offence without taking in all the details. We lost our objectivity, however I took the time to reflect over my actions and see when and where I lost sight of myself in relation to Mr. Wolfe. I suggest that you do the same because your actions in the interrogation room, should they ever be repeated again, will lead to serious consequences and this time I will not step in to help you out of the resulting mess. Go home for the day Eric, and think about what I have said." With that, Horatio left first despite the fact that it was his office.

*_* *_*!_! !_!*_* *_*

Ryan was eternally grateful that his children's rooms were not close enough to his that they would be able to hear his cries of agony as he once again endured the attentions of Nathan Manelle. While the man had little disregard for Ryan's comfort during his coupling with the brunette cross dresser, he had been notably crueler to the former CSI on this night after their arrest. Ryan had known that the stress that the MDPD had placed on the man would somehow manifest itself against him. He had hoped that it would have been in other ways that brutally ripping him open, but true to form, Nathan was only relaxed by the many bouts of sex that he either forced on Ryan or with one of his harem of women.

It was only round two and Ryan was ready to pass out from pain and shock as his body was forced to accept the invader over and over again while the man grunted and sweated obscenely above him, straining to reach his pinnacle. The brunette was praying desperately that sweet oblivion came to him quickly because that would be the only way that Manelle would leave him be. Despite the cruelty that the man showed in his current acts and to others, he really did seem to have a soft spot Ryan. Should Ryan actually pass out, he would actually stop and place his attentions elsewhere. He would also be kind enough to allow the cross dresser a reprieve for up to a week to allow Ryan's wounds some time to heal. It was not much for those from the normal world, but from a man like Nathan Manelle, it was considered a very high honor and mercy bestowed upon the person that received it.

Nathan reached his peak before Ryan was able to lose contact with reality and pulled out to flop down beside his little treasure and force the younger man to cuddle with him despite the blood and semen that covered his buttocks and thighs. Ryan could only flinch lightly in repulsion, but his captor paid no mind and only pulled him further into his strong, unpleasant arms. Sleep was a long time coming to the younger man whose life seemed to be steadily getting worse.

Ryan was awakened the next day with the smell of fresh baked bread, bacon, and orange juice (his favorite morning drink). The entire ensemble was on a breakfast tray that was presented to him by Nathan himself. The young male gave a weak smile that broadened to a more genuine one once his children joined him on the bed to eat with him. Nathan also sat upon the bed with them, pulling Ryan into his arms and feeding his lover from the tray while Ryan distractedly made sure that his young ones ended up with their food in their mouths rather than on the bed. It would have been the perfect family picture if not the circumstances that surrounded the outer edges of it. Ryan was desperate and he also knew that if he was going to get him and his children that he had to begin to act. It was time to make sure that Nathan Manelle got exactly what he deserved.

*_* *_*!_! !_!*_* *_*

Ryan had waited until Nathan was scheduled to have one of his more major meetings outside the house before he began to do any snooping about the house and particularly, the man's office. The brunette wanted to wait for this type of meeting because it meant less of the security detail patrolling house and less chance of someone noticing that something was wrong with the cameras that survey the hallways of the large house.

Once he had made it into the office without detection, Ryan began by first searching through the file cabinets and drawers for anything significant that would provide a tangible link between Manelle and the crimes that he had ordered. So far, he found only the usual type of documents found in an office: tax forms, quarterly reports, etc. However, in the last drawer, Ryan found something that was unusual. It was not exactly what he had been hoping for, but it was a start. The file contained shipping documents for an unnamed product to a nonexistent company that supposedly belonged to Manelle. The only reason that Ryan knew the company to be false was due to the fact the company did not exist in any of the other documents that he had rifled through, which meant that whatever was being shipped was something that could or should not be found. It was nothing substantial, but for Ryan it was along the right path. He made a quick copy of the document and left. He could come back to look through the computer files later as he had spent more than enough time in the office already. The key to not getting caught, Ryan knew, was to not stay longer than absolutely necessary. There would plenty more opportunities and he would just have to wait to use them.

Ryan made his way back to the security room to put the cameras to rights before he returned to his own room to hide what he had found. He placed the copy that he had made into a book that he read quite often as it was ironically similar to the life that he was currently living, though the captive actually was female rather than pretending to be. He hoped that by hiding the incriminating information in plain sight that even if he was suspected of having done something; they would not look at the obvious. The only thing he had to figure out now was how to export the document to the police and leave a breadcrumb for them to begin following. Hopefully he would not have to provide too many before the police were able to take the trail up completely by themselves. Ryan was doing something that was seriously dangerous to not only himself, but to his children.

*_* *_*!_! !_!*_* *_*

Horatio Caine stared down at the odd box of chocolates that had been sent to him by one Ryan Wolfe. The man had never struck him as the type to give anyone chocolates and most especially not to a former boss who had literally ruined his life over a petty matter. His first thought was to just throw the oddity away, but he thought better of it and sent it to the lab to be examined. There was a reason why Ryan sent him the chocolates and he would find out why.

The lieutenant had just returned from a crime scene with Calleigh Duquesne when the lab tech that had been examining his gift approached him with an evidence bag. The tech motioned to him and Horatio nodded before the lab rat began to speak freely about what he had discovered in relation to the evidence bag he was currently holding.

"It's a confirmation of product received at a port here in Miami. The strangest thing is, the company that received the goods doesn't exist. There is no company by the name of Craigley's Auto and Repair in Miami and as there is no detailed description of the contents of the shipment, I do not think that what was being delivered was automotive related. I ran it for prints and came up with a match to several people such as Derek Pinochet, Ryan Wolfe, and the real big fish: Nathan Manelle." Horatio's eyebrows came together as the strangeness of the situation became even more confusing in light of this new revelation. What was Ryan trying to accomplish? As much as he wanted to trust that Ryan was trying to help them with Manelle, he could not entirely place his trust in the cross dresser whom had been with that man for more than a year and had done nothing to help the police bring him down before. He had no choice but to wait and see what happened next, but he would make sure to add that the evidence in that bag to Manelle's file while restricting both other people's access and knowledge. He did not want any of this to leak out just in case it got back to Manelle and Ryan ended up in danger because of it.

**A/N: So it begins. Will Ryan be able to escape with the lives of his children and himself? Will Horatio trust the breadcrumbs that Ryan is leaving before it is too late? Only time will tell.**

**Cheers!**

**Nama**


	4. Chapter 4

_**In Circles**_

**Chapter 4: Safety and Safe Guarding**

**Date: September 10, 2012**

Each time that Ryan went digging into Manelle's files, his heart dropped and his fear rose to the point that he could believe that he would suffocate if he did not put an end to his little adventures. Most of the fear came not of what would happen to himself, but what would happen to his children and this fear might also be his downfall if he did not do something about it. Thus, Ryan came up with a plan to hide his children until it was safe enough for them to be together again. This was what led Ryan to sneaking out of the house under various excuses to make some necessary phone calls. Ryan also had a very good excuse to give to the man that controlled his life so that he could ensure his children's safety. It took a little over a week to set everything up, but all the details were taken care of and Ryan was ready to face what would be his biggest obstacle.

"Nathan? Could we talk privately please?" Ryan meekly asked, like the good little wife he had been tamed into. The man that was sitting beside him looked at Ryan with a bit of surprise before a smug smile worked itself across his face. Since a few days after their arrest, Nathan had not had much time for Ryan and it seemed to him that the younger male was finally voicing his want of Nathan's attentions.

"Once our guests have left for the evening, I promise that you will have my undivided attention, Ry." Once more, the brunette cross-dresser hid a flinch as the man used a more intimate form of his name. He knew that his request was going to have a price attached and he wondered once more whether or not he could really handle it. However, as promised, once Manelle's 'legal' business associates left, he half dragged Ryan to his room to give the younger male his undivided attention. As the man began left Ryan's mouth for the tempting pale neck, Ryan gained enough breath to blurt out his request.

"I want to send the children to a friend until everything is settled." The older man stopped cold, taking a step back from Ryan to pin the brunette with cold, calculating eyes.

"Why would you want to do that? Do you think that their home, _our_ home is _unsafe_?" The climbing rage within that steel toned voice had Ryan's knees quaking harder than the aftershocks of an eight point earthquake.

"No, no I don't. I just don't want them to be involved with the madness that is going to happen especially since the police are really gunning for you now. I don't want them to have to see them constantly coming after you and have them ask why. I want them to be happy and innocent for as long as possible. Please, Nathan, please for the sake of _our_ children." Ryan believed he should get an Oscar for the bit of acting he pulled off next. The brunette male threw himself at the man that he had harbored an intense hatred for, burying his head between the elder's neck and shoulder while clinging desperately to the lapels of his steel gray, double breasted suit. Manelle suspected nothing of Ryan's true intentions, but he still thought long and hard about whether or not he wanted to risk complying with his lover's request. He was under no illusion that Ryan would not hesitate to leave him if he believed his children to be safe from all possible harm that Nathan could inflict. However, he also weighed that with how difficult Ryan would become in other ways because he allowed the children to stay in their home whilst the police caused a ruckus.

"Very well, we can send the children elsewhere; however, I will send the children to stay with my mother out of the country." Nathan gave in, however, Ryan was not about to let his children stay with anyone remotely related to Manelle nor someplace where he may never be able to see his children again.

"I couldn't send them that far away!" Ryan gasped, taken aback and thoroughly offended at the offer.

"I have a friend that lives out West and I know she would be more than happy to take the kids. She lives in a rural town, so no one would even have to know that our kids are there unless she decides to take them into town with her. They would have plenty of space to play and they wouldn't have to worry about trying to understand a new language." Nathan once again gave Ryan his calculating gaze before acquiescing to his smaller lover's pleas.

"On the condition, that I meet her first and I send one of their uncles with them just to be on the safe side. I want weekly reports from him. Understood?" Ryan nodded and fought to hide a smile as things were finally going his way. The extra protection was nothing because his friend would never blow her cover unless it was to protect his children and it would be fairly simple to alter her looks enough that she would be unrecognizable from her true self while she entertained her extra guest. With his children out of harm's way, Ryan could finally begin to feel something that the thought he would never feel again bloom in his chest: hope.

*_* *_*!_! !_!*_* *_*

Horatio Caine was truly worried and fretful over his continued gifts. From flowers, to chocolates, to greeting cards; each and every gift had contained a clue that was helping to slowly build a stronger case against Manelle than the MDPD had ever had before. His worry was not for the case, though. The lieutenant was worried about the gift giver. Horatio believed that Ryan was the one behind the clues and the documents; however he also knew that if that was the case then Ryan could be in serious trouble if anyone, including the MDPD, knew that he was betraying Nathan Manelle. On the other hand, it had instilled confidence in him that Ryan had not given up on his morals in order to survive in the world that Manelle had dragged him into. Thus, Lieutenant Caine made a promise to himself that he would not allow anyone to discover just who his source was despite the fact that he was one hundred percent certain that was indeed his confidential informant.

*_* *_*!_! !_!*_* *_*

Nathan Manelle was enjoying his game with the Miami-Dade Police Department; however, there was something disturbing him about the way the game was going. According to one of his moles in the department, someone was anonymously sending information to the police. The evidence was damning within itself, a few misdemeanors or a felony at the most, but it was not just a one-off thing. Someone was sending in enough information for the police to dig on their own so that they could come up with the more damning evidence. Knowing this, Nathan knew that it was time to clean house and flush out the traitor to be dealt with accordingly. Nothing, absolutely nothing was going to mess with his plans for retirement with his wife and his children by his side.

Nathan began by getting rid of the lowest level suspected undercover cops and would slowly begin to work his way upward. He would also take more precaution with his documents and remove them from his office as well as from his home. The next time that the cops came after him, they would know what they were looking for and would have the means to look for it. He would make sure that there would be nothing for them to find. It would also keep Ryan from getting any noble ideas about trying to detach himself and the children from him. He had put a lot of effort into making Ryan his and he would be damned if he gave the still feisty man up to anyone for anything.

*_* *_*!_! !_!*_* *_*

Timothy Speedle had finally wrangled out the story of what had happened that had so profoundly destabilized the foundation for the CSI dayshift. He was happy that his friends had wanted to protect him and not allow anyone to give him any problems over the mistake that he had made in not cleaning his gun, but they had taken it way too far. Speed knew that he was fallable and he was distraught that his co-workers had refused to allow others the ability to correct his mistakes in his stead. Ryan Wolfe had been an honest worker that had wanted nothing more than to be a good CSI and yet, none of those on the dayshift had let because of the way in which he had answered a question to a superior about an individual he did not even know. Had the younger man said anything rude or had been truly condescending whilst giving his answer, he would have been flattered that they were defending him, but their actions were beyond cruel even if Ryan had committed an infraction.

When Tim had found out what had happened, he had confronted the members of his team and found their responses to be lacking. Calleigh had been indifferent about the whole thing and stated clearly that she had not wanted any part of it and that she still wanted nothing to do with anything that involved Ryan Wolfe. Alex had been guilty but remained silent against anything he had said and Tim had let it drop before too long. Horatio had been upfront with him and had mentioned that he had tried to get in touch with Ryan, but that the young man had disappeared before he had been able to right his wrong. He had gone so far as to send recommendations for work for Ryan around the city so that the young man could get work, but he never reappeared on the grid. Eric had been the hardest to confront because the Russian-Cuban was so stubborn in his beliefs about what is right and what is wrong. It had been the same when he had brought up the subject of Ryan to the dark skinned man. In the end, Tim had just agreed to disagree with the broader man and hoped that one day, Delko would see that he was wrong about the young man he had acted so callously toward.

**A/N: Sorry about the long wait. Classes are crazy this semester and I am not going to promise to update regularly, but I will try to update as soon as I am able. I will try not to make you guys wait too long. Thank you for not giving up on me yet and please REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW to let me know what you think of how the story is going.**

**Cheers!**

**Nama**


	5. Chapter 5

_**In Circles**_

**Chapter: Loss and Lead**

**Date: October 20, 2012**

There was no escaping Nathan's rage this time because he had been caught red handed going behind the man's back and copying those documents that had mysteriously ended up in the police's hands. So, Ryan had done the only thing that he could do in that situation; he ran because he knew that his life depended on it. He threw the coffee cup that had been sitting on Nathan's desk and nailed the man in the chest with it, following closely behind it in order to get past the larger man. Manelle was not fooled though and grabbed Ryan by his hair as he tried to get by. Ryan's hand flew to grab the hand in his hair, face pulled back in a pained grimace, while his body backpedalled in order to follow the direction his head was being pulled.

As soon as he was close enough, Ryan's leg shot out and hit his aggressor in the knee and the man went down but he made sure to take the smaller brunette down with him. Manelle hit the floor first with Ryan landing in an unattractive sprawl on top of the man that had held him and his children hostage for three years. Nathan rolled them so that the smaller was beneath him, his right hand holding the brunette down by his pale neck while the left hand drew back from Ryan's hair before striking the ex-cop's cheek open handedly. The older man was angry, but Ryan was the one he had chosen and he would not permanently damage the younger if he could help it. However, Ryan was not making it easy to keep himself unscathed.

Ryan began to strike and scratch at the man above him, but Manelle was having none of it as his rage finally got the better of him and he slammed the younger's head against the floor. Ryan's body froze as stars danced across his vision and the world blurred for several moments. By the time that he was regaining his senses, the older man had carried the younger to his room where he was dumped up on the bed and began to leave. Ryan moved to get up, only to realize that he was in his room and that Manelle was just leaving him alone. He had thought for sure that the man would have killed him for doing such a thing as betraying his 'trade' secrets. However, what Manelle did may have been worse than that, as he not only left Ryan alone in his room; he locked Ryan inside of his room. No matter what Ryan tried thereafter, he was unable to escape the room that had quickly become his prison inside of his already gold painted cage. All he could think about and hope for, from then on, was the safety and wellbeing of his children. As long as they were safe and happy and innocent, he would accept whatever fate had in store for him next.

*_* *_*!_! !_!*_* *_*

Horatio Caine was worried as the clues for the Manelle case stopped coming. For a little over three months, the informant (whom he was damn sure was Ryan) had sent tidbits of vital information weekly. Every Tuesday, the lieutenant would receive some kind of gift and with every gift; the clue was hidden cleverly within so as to look innocuous to anyone that did not know the intended purposes of the present. The documents had been a major help to the stagnant case that the MDPD had been building against Nathan Manelle for years. The only reason he could come up with for why the clues had suddenly stopped without a note of acknowledgement was that Ryan had been caught and that Ryan had been dealt with. There was no way that a man like Manelle was going to let anyone get away with betraying him. It settled a lead weight in his gut as that would mean that Manelle would most likely rearrange all of his plans in order to throw the cops of his trail once more and thus, the MDPD would be left in the dark once more when it came to the crime syndicate boss's dealings. This also meant that it was completely within Nathan's ability to escape from Miami without anyone being able to come close to touching him.

*_* *_*!_! !_!*_* *_*

Nathan was very upset with his wife after having found out that the smaller male had been duping him and snitching on him to the police. Ryan would have to be punished so that he would not repeat such a mistake ever again, but the only thing that the brunette every really backed down for was the children. The problem with using the children was that if he lost their trust in him, then it made it easier for him to lose control over Ryan and that was his ultimate goal. Thus, he was going to have to be creative about Ryan's punishment or else he would lose everything that he had worked hard for in life.

Manelle, after three days of cautious deliberation, had finally decided on his course of action in regards to Ryan's betrayal. The children would be sent out of the country to his mother and Ryan was going to learn just how good he has had it until the moment he was found out. Nathan was truly reluctant to go this route, but if anyone other than Ryan had committed this betrayal, they would have been dead already. The older man was also reluctant to go this path because there was a very real chance that it would do more than just tame Ryan, it could break him. Breaking his wife had never been part of the game plan, but as of now, what happened to the younger male would be completely up to Ryan and his willfulness. Hopefully, with the children being taken from him on top of his physical punishment, Ryan will give in easily.

In other matters, everything was very much going the way that Nathan wanted even if it had been a pain in the ass to switch schedules, move merchandise to new locations, as well as doing the early clean sweep that Ryan's actions had caused. Should things continue to go as well as they were, then Ryan, their children, and himself would be free and clear of Miami within the next month. With those happy thoughts in mind, Nathan picked up his secure line and dialed the man that he had sent with the children. While Ryan thought that he may have ushered his children out of Nathan's grasp, the man was anything but stupid and had planned accordingly. The woman that Ryan had sent his children to was already dead and his assassin was waiting patiently with the children at one of his safe houses awaiting his next set of orders. It was time for the children to leave the country and with their parents not far behind.

*_* *_*!_! !_!*_* *_*

Timothy Speedle looked over every piece of evidence that had ever been found against Nathan Manelle once more before looking at the information that had been sent anonymously to them over the course of the past several weeks. Speed could feel that there was a connection there that they were missing, but he could not see it and it was frustrating. Not only was it frustrating to find that missing piece, but the undisclosed source from which they had received a great deal of their more tangible evidence suddenly just stopped sending anything. It was worrisome and at the same time it was annoying because Tim felt that they were so close to shutting that man down for good. Which was why he was looking over the older evidence that had been collected since Manelle was first thought to be a suspect in a homicide almost a decade prior.

He sifted through the pictures of the crime scenes, ran over the print analyses, and reviewed the eyewitness statements for hours without end and…nothing. There was nothing until he went to sit down and knocked over several files, the crime scene photos spilling out haphazardly across the floor. As he went to pick them up he stopped as the puzzle pieces inadvertently came together. The clues had been so obvious that they had been overlooked. Tim pulled out his cell and immediately called Horatio to come to the conference room that had been commandeered for an indefinite amount of time for the Manelle case. On the floor, in every crime scene photo, there was the same card in the wallets of the victims: Desire by Design. It was probably a dead end lead, but it was something more than they had because it was a connection between all of the victims that they had suspected Manelle of murdering or at least ordering the hits that got them killed. How they had missed this tidbit of information before, he had no idea, but they would go check it out now that the bone had been found.

When Horatio arrived, he was surprised at what Speed had found, and he was also a bit disturbed because there were no records showing that Desire by Design had ever been investigated, though there had been a single record in the third case file that the connection had actually been found. This was causing alarm bells to go off and thus, the lieutenant put the entire Manelle case on lockdown until they completed the new investigation. The powers that be were not at all happy about what those precautions implied, but nonetheless they agreed to the need for discretion. This time around, they were going to make sure Nathan Manelle ended up in a cage for the rest of his life.

*_* *_*!_! !_!*_* *_*

Desire by Design was not the kind of place that they had imagined when they had first seen the establishment. However, Caine and Tripp held in their surprised expressions only due to their long years of experience in the field. Desire by Design was a fetish club, which they had expected due to their background search however, what they had not expected was for it to be a fetish club for the underground gay members for their famous and infamous members of society. Even in the daylight hours, the club was open and full of men wanting to experience their heart's desire without threat or fear of their reputations being affected due to the tight security that guarded the club's entrances like the secret service on the president of the United States. Even with their badges, the security personnel at the door had taken fifteen minutes completing proper protocol with them before allowing them entry. Even after entry into the building, they were led through corridors that in no way allowed them to see anything other than innocent scenes of men getting their rocks off without their wives and society being any the wiser. The two officers were escorted directly to the manager's (whom was also the owner) office where the woman was politely waiting for them with two chairs and four almost overstuffed binders on the desk between them.

**A/N: And the plot thickens. What do you guys think? I know it has been a seriously long time since I last updated, but with Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up I might (with lots of REVIEWS) be able to finish before it is time to bring in the new year.**

**Cheers!**

**Nama**


	6. Chapter 6

_**In Circles**_

**Chapter: Desire by Design**

**Date: November 17, 2012**

The woman sat confidently behind her imposingly large, dark wood desk across from Lt. Caine and Dt. Tripp. Her name was Saline-Anne Rodner and she was a woman that knew how the game was played and how to work it to her advantage. It showed in her manner of preparation of the information laid out before them. The two large binders were identified to the men by the bold, black, block letters on the front as employee records for the first and financial records for the second. The woman was most definitely ready to handle almost anything they could ask of her. Deciding that sizing up the woman and trying to make her uncomfortable enough to let something slip was not a viable option, Detective Tripp began the interview by showing the woman the various pictures of the dead men whom had possession of her club's business card.

"Do you recognize any of these men?" The woman carefully looked over each photo for nearly an entire minute each, totaling seven minutes, before she left her plush office chair to consult a file cabinet that was located on the left side of the spacious room. After several moments of perusing the contents, the woman made a soft sound of discovery before returning to the desk with several file folders. Once properly seated once more, Ms. Rodner opened the files and flipped over pages until she found the right information before turning the files so that the two officers could see what they contained.

"This club is membership only and every member must submit to a complete background check as well as a waiver that gives me explicit permission to release their information when the situation calls for such an action. In each of these files are records of their time with us for however they remained members. Also, since this club is members only each new member that is added has the person that invited them attached to their file as well. I can allow you to view these files here; however, if you want to take them with you, I ask that you return with a proper warrant." The woman sat back while the men looked over the information that she had presented them with before they began to address her once more.

"Do you know if any of these men were displaying strange or out of character behavior before their deaths?" The woman looked at the two men before her and gave a snort accompanied by a smirk.

"I do not work with the members of this club. These are highly influential men that are looking to spend all of their time in the company of their fantasies and a woman does not fit into that equation. If you want to know about that kind of information then you will need to speak to the manager, the waiters, the bartenders, or the dancers. Their employee files are in this binder, as you can see here. You are free to take these files with you to peruse at your own leisure; however, I kindly ask that you return them by the end of the month as that is when all updates are made to the employee files. Do you gentlemen need anything else?"

"Yes. Do you have a cap on the number of members? The average number of members? The turnover rate?" Lt. Caine asked. The woman looked at him curiously but answered without hesitation nonetheless.

"There is no cap on membership but it tends to be around about thirty members during a given year. The average length of membership so far is about three to five years. Though, we do have two or three members that have been with us since the opening of the club a decade ago." Detective Tripp was the one to speak up next.

"Can we have the names of those members that have been here since you opened?" Once again the officers received the curious stare, but the owner did nothing except to honestly answer their questions.

"Eli Garthel, Tanton Jacobs, and Nathan Manelle."

"Thank you, Ms. Rodner for your cooperation. Please have a wonderful day and should we need anything more, we will be sure to contact you." The detective and the CSI shook hands with the owner and began to leave, wanting to update and consolidate the Manelle file. It was small, but it was an angle that they had not had before. With the employee records in hand as just a potential list of witnesses, the two left.

*_* *_*!_! !_!*_* *_*

Calleigh Duquesne had been tasked with the duty of going over the entirety of the employee files in the over-sized binder that had been collected from the club. At any given time there were less than twenty members working for the club which meant that a lot of the files she was looking through were old employees. It was when she had finally made it to the employee records within the last five years that she found yet another important tidbit of information. She grabbed the pages that corresponded to her person of interest and immediately left to present the information to the rest of the team and most especially her boss.

Once everyone was present in their commandeered conference room that were authorized to work on the case, she gave the pages to Horatio whom was seated next to Tripp, who was looking over his shoulder at the information, before she began to elaborate about why she had called them all together.

"While looking through the records for the employees since the club opened, I found that Ryan Wolfe worked at the club as a waiter three years ago. The circumstances of him leaving were rather vague in the file as it only stated he left due to personal reasons." Murmuring from Horatio and Frank interrupted any further briefing from Calleigh. The CSI team leader grabbed another file from those piled about the room and opened it, searching a bit frantically for something. When he found it, he immediately called for everyone's attention.

"The killings started a month after Ryan began working at the club and the last body was found three days after he quit. Knowing this and knowing that Ryan is now intimately involved with Nathan Manelle, what else do we know?" Eric was the first to make his thoughts known.

"They were working together." Every head in the room looked at the man like he had grown a second head. Had it been any other person, there would have been no question that they would have been the suspect; however, two things ruled out Ryan as a suspect. First, Ryan was OCD and thus, the killings and crime scenes do not fit with a person of this disorder. Second, the time of the killings made it highly unlikely that Ryan did it due to the fact that most of them occurred during the operation hours of the club. Thus, everyone decided to silently and unanimously veto that conclusion.

"It could be coincidence or it could be any number of other things. What about talking to any of the employees that had been working with him at that time?" This time, it was Calleigh and Eric sent out to do the questioning. The group reconvened the next morning with their findings and the conclusion that Calleigh, and reluctantly, Eric had reached the night before was more than a bit disturbing.

"What have you got?" Tripp asked once everyone had settled in.

"A former waiter that worked with Mr. Wolfe stated that Nathan Manelle had a thing for Mr. Wolfe. For almost a year, Manelle regularly harassed him and there was nothing that management would do because Manelle never overstepped the club rules. However, the last week that Mr. Wolfe had worked at the club, he stopped protesting against Manelle. The co-worker state that Mr. Wolfe had actually began accepting gifts and other such things from Manelle. However, Manelle was not the only one who had shown more than a casual interest in Mr. Wolfe. We were also told that Mr. Wolfe was harassed by each of the men that were found dead and every death corresponded to being right after Manelle and each man were attending the club on the same night. I think that it is safe to conclude that Manelle was eliminating his competition." All the others talked it over a bit more in depth, but eventually came to the consensus that their conclusion was indeed the best one to make. They had no choice, they needed to bring Ryan back in. He was their best lead to taking down Manelle.

*_* *_*!_! !_!*_* *_*

Ryan Wolfe had spent the last week suffering his punishment from his captor. Manelle had decided that his isolation was over; however, the man had given the smaller brunette a new appreciation for just how easy he had had it before he had been caught during his betrayal. Ryan was not allowed anywhere without an escort, his previous privileges were revoked so that he was a prisoner within the house, and Manelle gave absolutely thought or care to his brutal treatment of Ryan. He never hit Ryan hard enough to break bone, but he did cause more than enough bruises and pain to not want to attempt any such actions ever again. The consequence that was killing him though was the fact that he was denied contact with his children. He was not even allowed to hear their voices when Manelle called them in order to keep updated and it was taking everything he had not to just end it because he knew that eventually he would earn back his right to his children. That was all that matter and all that he would strive for. The police would from this point onward be on their own because Ryan would do nothing more to jeopardize his children or himself.

**A/N: Happy Thanksgiving! Please keep up with the reviews and I will keep on updating.**

**Cheers!**

**Nama**


	7. Chapter 7

_**In Circles**_

**Chapter: Ryan**

**Date: November 29, 2012**

Manelle was pissed as the cops at his door demanded to see his wife. They were stating that Ryan needed to come down to the station to answer questions about some other open cases that the department was handling at the moment and apparently it had something to do with that club that he had been an employee at. Nathan did not like it one bit, but he also did not want to draw any more attention to himself than was already there. Thus, the older man released Ryan from his room, escorted him to the station, and made it clear to the smaller man that he was to say nothing until their lawyer arrived to say otherwise. Ryan did not need the warning, though. Manelle's punishment of depriving him for his children was more than enough to tame Ryan and dissuade him from any thoughts of further sabotaging his captor.

Ryan waited silently until Nathan's lawyer arrived to supervise the interview despite the reassurances of Dt. Tripp and Lt. Caine about helping him get away from his partner. When the woman finally arrived, the true questioning began. Ryan was surprised at the connection between the murders because he honestly admitted that he knew perhaps two of six men mentioned were members of Desire by Design. When they continued to question him about anything unusual happening during that time, Ryan repeatedly denied noting anything abnormal happening at the time. Despite his denials, Tripp and Caine could tell from Ryan's lack of eye contact that he was lying about it and were trying to push him lightly into verifying what his previous co-worker had stated. However, it was a lost cause because Ryan would not admit anything. The man dressed in denim A-line skirt and bright white tee with matching white, two inch wedges was not budging an inch in his reluctance to help them in their case with Manelle.

After two and a half hours of being questioned about his time at Desire by Design, Ryan was finally released. As soon as the young man returned to the house that was his prison, Manelle pinned Ryan to the front door. The lawyer that had been present throughout the interview had immediately reported everything to Nathan, and the man was very pleased with Ryan's behavior. Nathan wanted to reward Ryan, but there was one more thing that the younger man would have to do before he was given it. The larger male's hands were all over Ryan's smaller form, lifting the skirt, un-tucking his tee, and his mouth leaving bright red hickies in a necklace about Ryan's neck. Ryan hated the touching, the wet feel of the man's mouth on his person, but he did not struggle nor resist. Ryan knew that everything that Manelle was doing from the time he was freed from his room for the interview and onward from this point, would be a test to see whether or not he had earned the right to see his children again.

Ryan refused to fail.

*_* *_*!_! !_!*_* *_*

Ryan laid still and sore in his captor's arm as the man used the other to pick up the phone from the bedside table. Nathan had used him thoroughly and Ryan had passively allowed it to happen while the man took his pleasure. The worst of the whole experience had been the man's cajoling and taunting by way of his children. He had praised Ryan's behavior and had insinuated that good behavior might lead to him being reunited with _their_ kids when the whole confrontation with the police was over. Ryan was startled out of his thoughts when the older man placed the phone against his ear.

"Momma?" a little voice asked over the phone. Ryan's hand shot out to take hold of the phone and Nathan allowed it after warning his wife that he only had five minutes.

"Nicolas, hey baby. Are you and your sister behaving for grandma?" Ryan asked in the most normal tone of voice he could manage. He wanted to cry as he listened to his son talk enthusiastically about all the places they have been and all the new people that they had met. Ryan made sure that he got to speak to his little Meloni as well, but when his time was up, it had still felt like he had only had seconds to hear the voices of his babies. Nathan took back the phone, talked to the children for a bit as well and finally hung up the phone. He spooned Ryan, wrapping his arms around the smaller man and nuzzled his nose right behind the brunette's ear.

"If you ever pull another stunt like the one you did with the cops, if you ever betray me again…I'll make sure that you watch both of them sink to ocean and listen as they scream for you to save them. Do I make myself clear, Ryan?" Ryan remained frozen for several long moments, tears welling and spilling over in small streams as the images presented themselves in his mind before he nodded in affirmation. Nathan squeezed.

"I didn't hear you."

"Yes, I understand. I'm sorry!" With Ryan's acquiescence, Nathan released his death grip on the young man and proceeded to nod off to sleep. Ryan remained awake for a time, sobbing softly as he finally accepted that he would never be able to ever be free from the man wrapped around him. For the sake of his children and his own sanity, Ryan accepted that he was Nathan Manelle's wife and he would play the role with every bit of dignity that he had left: for his children.

*_* *_*!_! !_!*_* *_*

Horatio and his team sat once more in the conference room that had been commandeered for the Manelle case. They had been in the conference room since Ryan's interview a couple of hours previous. No one had liked the results of the interview because they had nothing to really work on but gut feelings and Ryan's reactions to the questions that had been asked. His actions collaborated with the statements that they had received from his co-worker during his employment at Desire by Design, but they also stated plaintively that Ryan was too afraid of Nathan to defy him by helping out the police. This problem had led them to their current session in the conference room.

"I say we arrest him and hold him in protective custody to get him to testify against Manelle," was the suggestion given by one to the officers that was working with Dt. Tripp. There were several others that agreed with the suggestion, but several others were against him. Delko was the one to raise another option for the brunette that was known as Manelle's wife.

"I say we lock him up and throw away the key. There is no way that he has lived with Nathan Manelle that long and not know what Manelle was doing. He is just as guilty even if he never got his hands dirty." There was some agreement with this suggestion as well; however, Horatio agreed with none of them. He knows that there is much more at stake than just Ryan or Nathan Manelle's arrest. Throughout all of the contact that they had had so far, all of them had forgotten something very important in relation to Ryan's circumstances and Horatio believed it time to bring that something into their focus of the big picture.

"I don't think we should do either. If we move this soon on either of them, then we risk the lives of the children." Horatio looked at the faces that sat before him and realized from their blank expressions that none of them even knew that Ryan had children or technically that Ryan had a son and had adopted a daughter during his time with Manelle.

"What are you talking about, Horatio? What children?" It was Calleigh whom had spoken up.

"I suspect that the reason Mr. Wolfe gave into Manelle in the beginning was not because of the murders, as he seemed unknowing about that, but because his son was threatened. Mr. Wolfe's son would have been about two at the time. Then when the two of them were arrested for those trump charges earlier so that the premises could be searched without their interference, CPS had to be involved because there were children taken into custody as well. Mr. Wolfe had a son, Nicolas, and a little girl, Meloni, whom was adopted by Mr. Wolfe a month after she was born. Meloni is Manelle's daughter and I suspect, she was a ploy by Manelle to further entrap Mr. Wolfe. Mr. Wolfe wants to help us, we can tell that by his expressions alone, but he remains silent despite his knowledge of law enforcement. The children are the key." Horatio concluded to the obvious doubt displayed by all.

"H, that is nonsense! Wolfe has fallen too far in with Manelle and is enjoying his piece of the pie. He just doesn't want that ruined. If he really wanted to help us, then he would have." Delko was forever living in a state of denial. Horatio however, was done with Delko and his rants against Ryan.

"Eric! Mr. Wolfe _was_ helping us, but do you really think that he could blatantly help us with the threat of Manelle sleeping next to him every night? We don't even ask UCs to help us the way that you are insisting that Mr. Wolfe do so." Delko, properly chastised, backed down for the moment. He and Horatio would have words later about what had just happened, but for the moment he would cool his heels.

"What do you mean that he was helping us, H?" Calleigh asked with a hint of knowing in her voice.

"The clues that were sent to me were sent by Mr. Wolfe. He confirmed it after his interview when he threw away my card in the trash on his way out."

Horatio pulled out an evidence bag that held not the card that he had given Ryan, but a picture of Nathan Manelle shaking hands with a known black market weapons dealer. The two appeared to be at lunch as they were sitting at a white table, outdoors, and it was a bright day so both parties had shades on, but it was clear that it was Manelle and the weapons dealer. The others could only bounce their eyes back and forth between the photo and Horatio. They had all been milling about when Ryan had been in the interrogation room and yet, none of them had seen a single thing to suggest that the cross dressing man was anything but uncooperative. Now, they had a solid lead. They knew someone that Manelle was dealing with and from there they would be able to begin tearing down the façade and the walls that were protecting Nathan Manelle from getting exactly what he deserved.

**A/N: Finals are OVER! I am free for the next three weeks and some odd days from the horrors that is University. I also hope to give you guys at least a chapter a week whilst on break. So to help me do that, I ask that REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!**

**Cheers!**

**Nama**


	8. Chapter 8

_**In Circles**_

**Chapter: Closing In and Pushing Away**

**Date: December 17, 2012**

The police were beginning to connect dots that should have been too far apart for their logic to be able to put together despite Ryan's previous help. Just this past week, the MDPD had taken down one of his partners in the business and just from that loss alone; a quarter of the bidders for his business had backed out. The other bidders were making noise about whether or not to buy a business that is under the cops' microscope. Things were beginning to fall apart and not in a way that he had planned for them to. So it was now time to pull out the big guns. None of the dots that the pigs had collected thus far could actually be connected to him with any solid evidence and so, it was time to put a wrench into the MDPD's plans to bring him down. Before doing that, he needed to get Ryan transported to the safe house without him the cops taking notice of the movement.

*_* *_*!_! !_!*_* *_*

Ryan knew that something big was happening because he was allowed back into men's clothing for the first time in almost four years. He was smuggled out, lying down in the backseat of an innocuous medium blue mid-sized sedan. How long the journey actually was, he did not know due to the fact that he had fallen asleep during the journey. He figured wherever they were taking him had to be out of state because they had yet to reach their destination, he had been awake for the last two hours, and none of the landscape they were riding past reminded him of any type of landscape that would be experienced in the state of Florida. For Ryan, his current situation was of little concern. His only concern, the only thing of any real importance was his children and that was the only thing that he would let his mind focus on. If he allowed himself to entertain other thoughts, they only led to decisions that hurt his children and Ryan could not allow himself to do that anymore. So as he was manhandled about, he made no complaints and he remained submissive and obedient to those that had been put in charge of him.

They were in the middle of Nowhere which was just north of Somewhere and south of Wrong Turn. Ryan took in his secluded lodgings for the next 'who-knows-how-long' and knew that if anything ever happened to him, no one would ever find his body. They were buried somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains away from roadways, waterways, and pathways. There would be no accidental stumbling upon them at this locale because even before they reached the cabin that rested at the end of the barely there road, Ryan had been able to see the multitude of fatal traps and triggers that had been set around the place. A person would have a better chance dancing on a minefield than trying to reach the cabin. This was assuming, of course, that the individual actually managed to find the cabin in the first place. There was no way to see it from the air due to the trees, the flora and tree trunks were dense about the property, and if you did not know where the entrance to the road should be, then you miss it entirely without knowing anything was amiss.

*_* *_*!_! !_!*_* *_*

With Ryan and the children all stashed safely out of reach of the MDPD, Manelle began to enact his exit strategy. Rather than selling his entire empire as he had planned, he broke it down into the parts that it comprised of and began selling the pieces off to the highest bidder within the hour of informing his associates of the sell. Doing so drove the price down overall, but allayed concern about police scrutiny as well as allowing Nathan leeway with the paper trail. With receiving several payments from different sources the cops were less likely to track down any of his incriminating enterprises and it also meant that he might not have to call in his military favors at all. If that would be the case, then that meant that he would not have to sell off or liquidate his company and thus, he would become a 'legitimate' businessman in the city of Miami. That did not mean that once he had eradicated all evidence of his underworld dealings that he and his family would remain in Miami or even in the country. He would have to see to the police before he made any final decision about baiting them later with their own failures.

Moving on, Manelle began making more calls to his bidders that were buying the different parts of his business and to his former subordinates as well. He was preparing his future sales as well as informing his minions about their new employment. He was also giving his former employees subtle warnings about the secrets that they hold because though he is selling off his underworld business, he was not selling off his power. Should they betray him in any fashion even after their change of employment, they can count on it that their very existence would be obliterated under the might of his wrath. Once he had dealt with those minor items on his list, Nathan began systematically going through the files that contained the equivalent of the pigs' wet dream: the documents for his non-legitimate business. He made sure to shred all of them before placing them in the fire. Once there was nothing but ashes remaining, the man exited the house, got into his car, drove half a mile, called a number on his contact list, and smiled with satisfaction when the house that he had had since he had made his first million was blown to pieces. His burning and shredding of the papers beforehand was a precautionary measure to ensure that not even a scrap of physical evidence could be found against him. He got rid of the house because he no longer had a use for it and he was pretty sure that they had bugged it at some point throughout his career as a criminal as he had found plenty in his office even though he never handled delicate matter within his own home. He pulled up his contact list once more and called the number.

"The new house," was all he said before ending the call and continuing his drive with unaffected nonchalance.

*_* *_*!_! !_!*_* *_*

Ryan had been at the house for a week as his _husband_ completed whatever it was he had been working on when one of his babysitters had received a call. After the call, both men were giving each other silent messages while simultaneously packing Ryan into the car and locking up the house that had been their residence. Once more, the brunette captive was made to lie down across the back seat in order to stay out of possible witnesses' eyes. The drive was just as long to wherever they were going as the ride to the hidden house had been; though, he still had no idea where he was despite having been awake the entire time. The car finally came to a stop, but the two in the front did not allow for Ryan to get up from the back seat. The passenger babysitter was the one to leave the car and only once the man had returned and the brunette in the rear of the car covered with a blanket was Ryan allowed to leave the vehicle.

Once within the safety of the house, Ryan came face to face with the man that was his captor and on paper, his husband. The week without the man had been so peaceful in a way that Ryan had not had since he had had the displeasure of crossing paths with the man, but that peace was now shattered as he was once more awakened to the reality of his situation. He just wanted the entire ordeal to be over with and for his children to be safe once and for all; however, he knew that his and his children's fate rested in the hands of the Miami-Dade Police Department for Ryan could do no more without jeopardizing everything that he had worked to keep safe.

Nathan had not really wanted to return Ryan to his side until everything was absolutely taken care of, but he had had no choice with the police watching their every move. Ryan could not truly disappear like he had done with the children as that would cause unnecessary suspicion that Manelle did not need at the moment; however, he had made sure that Ryan was nowhere to be seen whilst he destroyed all evidence pertaining to his less than legal dealings and more importantly, Ryan was to be his alibi for when the house was destroyed so that the pigs would have nothing to try to pin against him. Now that they were truly gunning for him, Manelle had shut down all public contact with his _suspected_ underworld contacts and over next several months while the cops tried to put him behind bars, he and Ryan would be doing a little posturing with the Miami elite. It was usually something that he did not partake in unless absolutely necessary, but for now, it would serve a greater purpose. He would not rush and just suddenly pop into the circle whereas he would not before, but he would attend an extra one or two with the excuse of his wife wanting to get out more now that Meloni was older. It would force the police to have many more problems in trying to arrest him.

"Ryan, it is good to see my wife back home safe and sound. Tomorrow you will need to go shopping as we have a charity dinner to attend this week and I want you looking your best. Make a real show of it," the command rolled off the older man's tongue like liquid. Ryan shivered as his own sharp intellect picked up the subtle clues that the man was giving to him.

"No talking to the cops without our lawyer present, either. I want you to remember that we have two children with their grandmother that miss their mother dearly and it would be just horrible if they were to have an accident before they were to be reunited with their 'Momma.'" Ryan flinched as though he had been physically hit and just nodded his assent. He was afraid that if he spoke in that moment, that he would say something that he and his children would regret. As always, Ryan would have to play by Nathan's rules if he wanted him and his little ones to remain unscathed.

*_* *_*!_! !_!*_* *_*

The MDPD had majorly screwed up their case against Manelle and they had not needed any traitors or outside help to do so. They had been so happy over the clue left behind by the former CSI Wolfe and Manelle's moll that even their superiors had lost their heads a bit. Rather than sitting on the information that had been given, they had moved in on and arrested Jason Tike, the arms dealer from the photo given to them by Ryan. By doing that, they had unintentionally warned Manelle and spooked all of the contacts suspected to be associated to the man. It was a bad situation that only got worse as they received an emergency call that the Manelle Residence had be destroyed due to several explosions within the house itself. When the officers had arrived on the scene, there had literally been nothing left of the house and with it they believed that most of their evidence had just disappeared.

There first and only suspect was Manelle, but according to eye witness accounts, the man had left hours before the explosion and that he had yet to return. However, there had been a rather suspicious utility vehicle that had entered the grounds a half hour after Manelle left and then exited roughly ten minutes before the house went up in a spectacular show of explosions. However, the destruction of the house was placed too conveniently after the revelation that Jason Tike had been arrested. They had unofficial confirmation that the two were making under the table deals with each other, but the price for it was much too high as they had no finite evidence beyond the photo linking to the two. They also had no way to tie Tike to his arms dealing. They had arrested the man on petty crimes that his lawyer would get him off on, but they had wanted to take an uninterrupted crack at the man. All of their premature efforts were for naught. Manelle was going to make himself untouchable, if he had not already succeeded at that already. At this point, it would take a miracle before they would be able to even think about bringing down Manelle ever again. This, of course, was assuming that the man even stayed in Miami long enough to give the MDPD a second chance at taking him down.

**A/N: Really Sorry about the long time between updates, but I have not really been FEELING it lately. However, here is the newest chapter of In Circles. As you can see, the plot is beginning to wind towards the climax and the end. There are only about three to four chapters left. Tell me what you guys think so far though! Please REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! Feedback helps me to refine later chapters and encourage me to re-edit previous chapters if you have anything to say about those either.**

**Cheers,**

**Nama**


	9. Chapter 9

_**In Circles**_

**Chapter: Turning Point**

**Date: March 14, 2013**

Ryan was suffocating. He and Manelle were making more public appearances with Nathan's legal business acquaintances; thus, making Manelle just that much further out of the MDPD's reach. It was also making the department agitated that they were getting farther and farther from bringing Nathan Manelle and his underworld down. Ryan was so pissed that the MDPD could not seem to get their act together and actually put together the clues that he had left behind. It was like just because he was involved the entire department seemed to forget how to function as officers of the law. It gave Ryan a dangerous sense of foreboding, but at the moment he was truly trapped in this situation on his own. He had tried to help the police but it had only ended with his children in danger and separated from him. He would stick by his resolution to accept his current situation despite the heavy weight that it put upon his spirit and the constant danger that it kept his children in.

*_* *_*(_) (_)*_* *_*

Timothy Speedle had been forced to sit by and watch as the MDPD totally fucked up the Manelle case. His protests to their decisions were ignored and he watched as everything that they had worked for up to that point went down in a fiery explosion literally and figuratively. Even if they had been able to get a warrant for the estate, it was gone. They had ruined any chances of a witness to anything possibly wanting to come forward because there was absolutely no way that such an individual would feel confident putting their safety into the hands of the MDPD. The department had been made to look incredibly incompetent and foolish with their actions as of late. It was terrible because this might not only apply to this particular case but to any cases that they are handling or will handle in the inevitable future. Someone needed to do something, not for the department, but for the lives that they had endangered. Someone needed to get those children and Ryan away from Nathan Manelle before they turned up dead. Speed had just the person to help him with his plan, but doing so would mean that the MDPD would never have the satisfaction of throwing the book at the kingpin. However, someone as beautiful as Ryan needed to be rescued and so did his children.

Speed had met many criminal scumbags and sketchy 'informants' over the years that he had been working in criminal justice. However, he had also come across criminals that had better morals than some of society's most 'upstanding' citizens. In his line of work, he also knew that sometimes not always 'getting' your bad guy meant that later on you could catch a bigger fish. While no one liked to admit it, not every case that investigated was solved even with collaborating evidence against the suspect. Speed had one such case in which he had performed a favor a man that he had let go. It has been ten years since they last saw each other, but the man had never once lied to Speed about anything during that case despite knowing that he could go to prison and the CSI knew that he would repay the favor even if it has been ten years. As soon as the former coma patient returned home, he made some calls to begin _properly_ handling the Manelle case.

Timothy was in a very seedy part of Miami where anyone less than organized thug did not dare to tread. This part of the city was not owned by the state, it was owned by the Syndicate, as they called themselves, and unless you were invited into this part of the city you were guaranteed to be only be leaving if they were taking your corpse to city dump. It seems as though the man that the CSI had been generous to all those years ago had used his second chance to advance his criminal career. When they had first met each other, the man was a low level thug whose only goal was decrease the deaths of children in his neighborhood. Now, the man had progressed to be the second-in-command of the Syndicate whom was also on the MDPD's wanted-but-untouchable list.

He had been waiting in the living room of the largest house on the street (it is a seedy part of Miami, but the curb appeal was absolutely stunning) for almost six minutes when the man appeared before him. Over the years, the man had hardened with age, his body was toned to killing perfection, his eyes took in everything, and one could see the man calculating their every weakness. Speed felt a shiver run down his spine at the danger signals that the man now excreted from his every pore before he smiled politely, stood, shook the man's hand, and thanked him for taking time out of his very busy schedule to see him.

"Nonsense, CSI Speedle. I never forget the people who help me and you are at the top of the list." The man gave Tim a friendly slap on the back. Tim returned the appreciation before he spoke.

"Mr. Daynten, is this an appropriate place to talk of _sensitive_ issues? I would like help with a righteous cause." Daynten appraised the CSI for several moments before he motioned for the officer to follow him. Tim followed him into the back were there was a waterfall that fell into a pool made to resemble a natural pond. He took the seat offered to him and waited for the other man to get comfortable before speaking.

"If this is something that you cannot do, I will certainly understand and take any advice you would have on this manner. However, I want to entrust this endeavor to you." The other male gestured for Speedle to continue.

"Well…"

*_* *_*(_) (_)*_* *_*

Nathan Manelle had not thought he could have ever reached the height of rage that he did when he was informed that the children had gone missing. He thought that his wife's betrayal of him had been the most furious he had felt, but he had been proven wrong. At least in that situation, he had been able to rein the younger man in both physically and emotionally. However, the disappearance of the children meant that not only would Ryan be distraught, but it could give him the opportunity to destroy everything that Manelle had worked for up to this point.

He finished verbally beating down his subordinate before he began to think urgently of a way to impede the upcoming battle with his wife when he was informed of that Nicolas and Meloni were missing. His first option was not to tell Ryan at all, but the younger man was a former CSI and he would know that was something was wrong as soon as his routine call to the children was canceled. His second option was keep the brunette sedated, but that was a lot of effort to expend with relatively little guarantee that he would be able to resolve the disappearance before Ryan built up resistance to the sedative. His third option was to tell Ryan and to summarily remove from the both the public eye in Miami and the state until everything was resolved. Sadly, it was looking like the third option was going to be the most suitable and Manelle would carry through with it despite the fact that he did not want to be parted from his beloved.

Ryan was absolutely distraught. It had been over three months since the MDPD's fuck up with Jason Tike and he had just overheard his tyrant growling over his cellphone about his children. Apparently, the children and their grandmother had gone on a day trip without having informed their escorts who had been admittedly sleeping on the job and when the woman had returned, it had been without the children. The woman had returned hysterical because she had lost her grandchildren whilst they had been walking through the crowded streets during lunch hour. One moment they had been there, hands in hers and the next, they were simply gone without a trace and without a single person having seen a thing. For Ryan, this news crumbled his world around his ears.

His children were gone; the little ones that he had fought so hard to keep safe were gone despite his best efforts. Reality was a harsh mistress and though she had made a point to be so cruel to him, he had never imagined something like this. It almost would have been better if he had heard that his children were dead because at least then he would know that they would never have to face the cruelty that life could display. For the moment, all he could do was worry relentlessly about whether or not his children were better or worse off with whoever had snatched them from the woman that Nathan called mother. It was heartbreaking and relieving all in the same breath because of the potential danger to his children as well as the fact that they were no longer under constant threat from Manelle himself. Ryan was unsure of what to do, though. His children were missing, but did that mean it was safe enough for him to fight back or would his children still reap the consequences of his actions if he did so? Things had become so messed up that it was near impossible to tell up from down anymore. What should he do? What should he DO?

**A/N: Hello faithful readers! Sorry the updates are so so soooo long for this, but I am having trouble of thinking of how I want to end it. When I first started writing I knew exactly it would be, but now quite a bit has changed. Please do not expect another update for a while, however this fic will be finished before the start of school this year. Review if you want to.**

**Cheers!**

**Nama**


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